"Nehan-zu" Display Starts at Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Considering Life of Buddha

The Nehan-zu being shown in conjunction with the anniversary of Buddha's death (February 15, Kyo-do Hall, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto)

A display of "Nehan-zu," or a picture of dying Buddha surrounded by his disciples, started at Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, on February 15, the date Buddha is said to have died. Monks commemorated Buddha's posthumous influence by chanting sutras.

At 9:00 a.m., a memorial service was held in Kyo-do Hall and priests recited a sutra before the Nehan-zu. Visitors considered the life of the founder of Buddhism as they quietly put their hands together or quietly looked at the Nehan-zu. Additionally, a memorial service for Ryokei Onishi, the former temple's chief priest who died on the same date 30 years ago, was also held from 11:00 a.m. in the nearby Chuko-do Hall. The painting, measuring approximately 3.9 meters in height and 3 meters in width, is said to have been drawn by Sekkei Yamaguchi, a painter of the Kano school, in 1708 in the mid-Edo Period. It depicts the scene in which Buddha is lying under a sal tree on a night with a full moon, surrounded by his disciples and animals lamenting his death. The Nehan-zu can be seen from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until February 21. There is no additional fee to see the painting.